Flashbang
| Entity = weapon_flashbang }} The flashbang is a type of grenade available in the ''Counter-Strike'' series. Players can hold two at once, except in Condition Zero: Deleted Scenes, where they may hold three. Overview When the flashbang explodes, all players with a clear sight to it will be blinded, their entire screen obscured by whiteness for a maximum of 5 seconds. In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, players who are near the explosion but do not have a view of the flashbang will still be blinded, albeit for a a very short moment. Note that it is possible to blind players when a flashbang explodes in smoke. In an in CS:GO, there is now an animation that specifically displays players who are heavily blinded from a flashbang. Those affected will have an arm partially covering their eyes. However, this does not affect their ability to use grenades and their weapons. Also, when watching on GOTV and that player is blinded, the icon of the eye with a cross (X) along with the text "blinded" will appear, but the spectator will not be blinded. When held, the player's movement speed is 250 units per second, meaning they suffer no speed reduction. In Global Offensive, this was reduced to 245. Advantages *Blinds enemies *It makes a loud noise (Deleted Scenes and Counter-Strike: Source only) *Easily flushes out small, enemy-concentrated areas *Two can be carried (in previous games and in competitive mode of CS:GO.) Meanwhile, five flashbangs can be stored in Deleted Scenes *One of the cheapest grenades in the Counter-Strike series Disadvantages *Players can still move around and use their weapons *Blinded players will often spray, so getting close to a blinded enemy can be risky *A high chance of flashing and blinding your own teammates and even yourself if not thrown properly *No explosion damage to enemies *Not very effective against enemies who are far away (they may only be blinded for one second) *Not very useful in open areas Gameplay Tactics *Flashbangs in tight corridors cannot be easily avoided, even for players who quickly look away as they can only minimize the effects. **Use these stun grenades in closed rooms to create confusion among enemy players. Blinded players are easy targets and can hardly react so finish them off quickly although, some enemies will blindly spray bullets. *Using a flashbang is extremely helpful against campers, note that campers hiding around corners will be more likely to shoot blindly after being flashed. *Throw a flashbang at areas wherever suspected enemy gunfire is heard as this can offer you the chance to eliminate blinded targets, give more room to escape, or even move around them if you think that you can avoid their bullets. **Try to throw a flashbang when enemies are occupied and do not notice you, specifically from behind. Generally, if friendly fire is enabled, groups of opposing team members will normally be very reluctant to fire their weapons thus making it easier for you to eliminate them. **Do not get into the habit of peeking around areas and throwing this grenade as it is more recommended to throw a flashbang at suspected enemy locations without looking. Enemies may be anticipating your movement and they will try to eliminate you before you can throw it, or use this timing to kill you while you are holding a flashbang. **You can use the wall-bouncing tactic to throw the flashbang without exposure to enemy fire, but careful though, you might flash yourself or your teammates. *If you're (about to be) cornered, use a flashbang and retreat. If you cannot avoid being blinded, try to minimize the effect by looking away after you throw the stun grenade. *Do not assume it's safe to enter an area where a flashbang went off. Skilled enemies may avoid being blinded and they can surprise careless targets that tries to rush in. * A "pop-flash" is often used at higher-level play. This means the flash explodes within a split second of it being seen by the enemy. This can be extremely effective to blind enemies around corners if thrown perfectly. To achieve this, bounce or throw the flashbang from a longer distance due to the short fuse time. * In confined areas, it's possible to combine a smoke grenade with a flashbang, pop smoke first, as most players will look into it. Then, plant a flashbang inside the smoke to blind them. * In CS:GO, the flashbang can be combined with decoy grenade to multiply the chaos for the enemy. As such, it's suggested to throw a flashbang first. Counter-tactics *Run away or take cover if a thrown flashbang is spotted. **Looking away from a flashbang when it explodes will reduce its effect on you. However, be warned that enemies may take advantage of this and they can eliminate a blinded victim if his view is not set upon assailants. *If you have been blinded by a flashbang, you can either fire your weapon continuously at the direction of suspected enemy positions (although it may lead your team members to being injured if friendly fire is enabled or you accidentally harm the hostages), throw a flashbang of your own, or fall back, do not move forward, and find cover. **If enemies do not have visual contact, avoid firing bullets which can help you to remain concealed. *If an opponent is around the corner, listen for the (metal) "bouncing sound". It could be a warning sign of an incoming grenade, including a live flashbang. **Experienced players will usually burst-fire their weapon (if they suspect enemies have seen them before a flashbang went off) and retrace their steps to find adequate cover. If done correctly, enemies may search the area and not be able to figure out that targets had previously occupied that section. *Although not recommended, it is possible to rush at enemies who just threw a flashbang or shoot the enemy while he is holding the flashbang. They will need time to draw a firearm so this may be your best chance to eliminate them (before being blinded). Achievements Counter-Strike: Source= ; Kill ; Special |-| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive= ; Combat Skills Gallery Trivia *In Beta 1.0, the behavior of the flashbang was close to the grenade in Half-Life. For instance, players were able to cook the grenade. However, if cooked too long, it will explode in your hands, thus blinding yourself. *Like every other grenade in real life, the flashbang had an ability to release shrapnel when it exploded. This ability for the flashbang was removed when Beta 6.0 came out. ** Since Counter-Strike: Source, the flashbang has been capable of dealing 1 hp of damage if it hits a player when thrown. *There are references to this weapon in the Left 4 Dead game files, hinting that it may have been planned to appear in the game at some point. *The database file name for this equipment is flashbang. *In real life, a flashbang can blind for up to 20 minutes - this was not incorporated into the game for obvious balance reasons. *Before Counter-Strike: Source, the flashbangs could only blind players. Later on, flashbangs were given the ability to both hamper the sight and hearing of affected players. *In some rare situations, if a player is right in front a flashbang that is about to explode, other players who look at the blocking player may actually not be affected by the stun grenade. *The effects of a flashbang is not affected with the option "friendly fire" even if it was disabled. It will still blind your teammates. *It is possible to kill enemy players with 1 health point by throwing a flashbang at them in Counter-Strike: Sourceand Counter-Strike: Global Offensive , The same applies to the Smoke Grenade and Decoy Grenade in CS:GO. **When you kill someone with the flashbang (if the aforementioned information is kept true), there will be two HUD icons and they are unique compared to the other kill icons of the other grenades and weapons. ***It will be much larger. ***It would have the same size as a normal kill icon but the icon will appear sightly below the area where a normal icon would appear. **This is possibly a reference to the fact that despite the design of the flashbang was to be non-lethal, it has killed some people. **In Global Offensive, a player can die before a flashbang will actually hit the victim. Also, it has a normal kill icon, unlike in CS:S where there were two icons that appeared misshapen. *When blinded in Counter-Strike: Source, the player will hear a "bleep" sound which is reused from Half-Life 2 when the player is injured with explosive weapons. *Only one flashbang can be purchased/obtained in casual mode of Global Offensive. Meanwhile, two can be obtained in competitive mode. *In reality, flashbangs are meant to be exclusively used by Counter-Terrorist forces. It's likely that the Terrorists have access to using flashbangs because of the black market. *After the 2/5/2014 in Global Offensive, all grenades received a secondary fire where the grenade will be bounced for short range throw, as well as a third medium-ranged throw (by holding both primary and secondary fire buttons). *In Goldsrc games, even if a player is blinded, it is still possible to see through a scope, view player scores, and keep informed of players' deaths. In Source, these were removed. *The flashbang in Global Offensive is based on the M84 stun grenade. *Prior to the introduction of the decoy grenade in Global Offensive, the flashbang was the cheapest grenade. *The flashbang in Deleted Scenes can render enemies unable to attack while stunned. This also applies for friendly NPCs. **This grenade seems to be Terrorist exclusive as NPC CT operatives never throw a flashbang. *When a bot is blinded in Condition Zero and Source, they will refrain from shooting most of the time and simply run to a corner, or crouching, then spraying their bullet without retreating. In Global Offensive, they will always spray bullets and run backwards. Notes Flashbang kill video External links *Flashbang at Wikipedia Category:Grenades Category:Equipment